Most helpful positive review

In my opinion, it doesn't matter who you are, how old you are or what you do, it's always useful to improve your memory, even if you don't think you have a bad one. Mine's okay, but retaining information is important to me on both a work and personal level, so I read this book to learn some techniques.

Perhaps the most important point made in the book is that your memory is like a muscle; the more you exercise it, the better it gets. The reverse is true, also; neglect makes it worse. So with that in mind I dove into this book, ready to learn and improve.

There are many methods in here, the key is to read through each one, try it out, and see what works best. The methods include repetition--both mental and physical--taking notes, attention, focusing on positives, discarding negatives, affirmations and improving understanding to aid remembering. More advanced ideas include associations, clusters and visualization. Help with remembering certain types of information is also included; i.e., remembering names and faces, dates, locations, directions, addresses and events.

All this information is coupled with ways to help these methods work better for you. Eating better removing stress, learning to relax, avoiding unimportant issues and learning to say no can all boost the memory-improvement process.

The best part about it is that everything you're taught is easy to learn and apply. There's no point trying to learn something that's more likely to make your brain explode than improve your memory. Using some of the techniques, I've been able to control the things that I want to remember, and to access information more easily.

Overall, this is an easy to understand, thorough book on improving memory. So if you're looking for a variety of methods to assist you, then this is a book worth checking out.

Most helpful critical review

This is a well written book on memory improvement. I can go into specifics about the content and all the techniques that are discussed in here, but other reviewers have done a good job highlighting them already.

What I do want to express is that from the examples and analogies, it seems like this author comes from a strong academic and/or educational background. He is very authoritative and knows a lot about the subject. I say this because he makes reference to quite a bit of classic literature, timeless poems, famous quotes, and historical events. As a reader, this is both interesting and refreshing.

A lot of books, especially newer ones, lack this. Since the popularity of e-readers such as the kindle, it has become easier for the average Joe to publish a book and become an author. No longer does one need to obtain a degree, gain respect in a field, or pay their dues to have their work published. Although I applaud these individual's effort, many times their material is basic, common sense, and highly superficial. If they are not these things, they are disorganize or unprofessional.

Although this author appears to have a formal educational background, his writing is user friendly. It is clear-cut with plenty of examples. Most writers who come from a trained and skilled background tend to write in way that makes sense to them or other people with a similar training. However, their writing becomes too difficult to grasp for the average person. This author is able to take complicated information and make it straightforward. A lot of times the information comes off as though it is common sense, but in my opinion it is the author's ability to convey information in a way that is obvious and self-evident to readers.

There are a few chapters in the beginning that deal with what the author calls "factors" to improve your memory. Some parts of these chapters are a bit drawn out and get stale. If you can stick through these minor sections, you will do well.

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In my opinion, it doesn't matter who you are, how old you are or what you do, it's always useful to improve your memory, even if you don't think you have a bad one. Mine's okay, but retaining information is important to me on both a work and personal level, so I read this book to learn some techniques.

Perhaps the most important point made in the book is that your memory is like a muscle; the more you exercise it, the better it gets. The reverse is true, also; neglect makes it worse. So with that in mind I dove into this book, ready to learn and improve.

There are many methods in here, the key is to read through each one, try it out, and see what works best. The methods include repetition--both mental and physical--taking notes, attention, focusing on positives, discarding negatives, affirmations and improving understanding to aid remembering. More advanced ideas include associations, clusters and visualization. Help with remembering certain types of information is also included; i.e., remembering names and faces, dates, locations, directions, addresses and events.

All this information is coupled with ways to help these methods work better for you. Eating better removing stress, learning to relax, avoiding unimportant issues and learning to say no can all boost the memory-improvement process.

The best part about it is that everything you're taught is easy to learn and apply. There's no point trying to learn something that's more likely to make your brain explode than improve your memory. Using some of the techniques, I've been able to control the things that I want to remember, and to access information more easily.

Overall, this is an easy to understand, thorough book on improving memory. So if you're looking for a variety of methods to assist you, then this is a book worth checking out.

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I bought this book a little over 6 months ago. I'm not a memory expert, but have read more than my fair share of books on the subject to say this is one of the better ones I've encountered.

One of the reasons I liked this book is because of the many examples. The author never assumes that just because a concept was explained that you will automatically know how to use it. Instead he provides numerous illustrations that show you what to do. Not only that, he shows you different ways to apply them in different situations. The examples are practical and reference information that you'll likely need to learn or remember, whether for school, work, or day to day life.

Another reason I liked the book is because the author understands the limitations of each technique. He realizes that one method will not work for every situation. For example, you can't use acronyms to remind you of an appointment or a rhyme to remember where you misplaced your keys. Where one technique falls short, he provides others to compensate. Also, not all memory issues can be solved with a technique. Where a technique can't be used, he offers other strategies. He talks about everything from concentration, your diet, to getting organized.

The most helpful chapter for me was the one on affirmations. The author says that your beliefs about your ability to remember have a strong influence on your memory - more than any technique you can learn. He gives you an affirmation exercise to improve your beliefs, which I've been affirming regularly for a few months. I have to say, that alone has had an astounding shift. I am able to remember everything from appointments, schedules, errands, deadlines, due dates, and meetings without the use of any method. It has made me more attentive and aware of my priorities without learning or applying techniques, and lately, I am rarely forgetting what's on my plate.

Another chapter I really enjoyed was on using your sense of sight. Basically, you are showed ways to recall information similar to how people with photographic memory do. It sounds complicated and difficult, but it's not. For remembering a story or list, I'm not finding it too useful, but for complex processes and tasks, I'm getting really good results. I am able to remember the fine points of complicated procedures at work, which has impressed quite a few of my colleagues even those who put the procedure together.

I will admit, I didn't find all the techniques useful. Not that they don't work, which I'm sure they do. Either I myself couldn't get into them or they didn't work with my mental habits. Though those that did work, have been working really well. There are a lot of tips in this book, so you'll definitely find more than a few that will click for you.

Also, when it comes to memory improvement, most books and courses pretty much rehash the same tricks. In some respects, this book is no different. The author even admits that. In other respects, it presents unique ideas that I haven't heard discussed elsewhere. It runs the gambit from classic techniques such as acronyms, clustering, and the loci method to more unique ideas like facts association, mental practice, and the two I mentioned above.

All in all, this is a great book on improving your memory. Majority of the content lives up to the title of easy, fun, and simple. If you are new to memory improvement, I recommend this book over others as it's not terribly long and the content is well presented and comfortable to read. It will be much help to students looking to excel in school, professionals wanting to manage their work, busy people striving to get a grip, as well as the elderly striving for a more youthful memory.

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This is a well written book on memory improvement. I can go into specifics about the content and all the techniques that are discussed in here, but other reviewers have done a good job highlighting them already.

What I do want to express is that from the examples and analogies, it seems like this author comes from a strong academic and/or educational background. He is very authoritative and knows a lot about the subject. I say this because he makes reference to quite a bit of classic literature, timeless poems, famous quotes, and historical events. As a reader, this is both interesting and refreshing.

A lot of books, especially newer ones, lack this. Since the popularity of e-readers such as the kindle, it has become easier for the average Joe to publish a book and become an author. No longer does one need to obtain a degree, gain respect in a field, or pay their dues to have their work published. Although I applaud these individual's effort, many times their material is basic, common sense, and highly superficial. If they are not these things, they are disorganize or unprofessional.

Although this author appears to have a formal educational background, his writing is user friendly. It is clear-cut with plenty of examples. Most writers who come from a trained and skilled background tend to write in way that makes sense to them or other people with a similar training. However, their writing becomes too difficult to grasp for the average person. This author is able to take complicated information and make it straightforward. A lot of times the information comes off as though it is common sense, but in my opinion it is the author's ability to convey information in a way that is obvious and self-evident to readers.

There are a few chapters in the beginning that deal with what the author calls "factors" to improve your memory. Some parts of these chapters are a bit drawn out and get stale. If you can stick through these minor sections, you will do well.

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With all of the data available to us these days, it's no wonder that we have information overload and sometimes have difficulty processing all of it. So, when reading this book on Memory, I found it quite informative, useful, and am looking forward to applying some of the techniques.

This book was written in a conversational tone with good advice spiced with a dash of humor. But, what I found to be really interesting was how, throughout the book, memory techniques were being applied as I read. For example, after a couple of chapters, I realized the following chapter created a segue from the previous chapter to reiterate its points and that, in turn, made the previous chapter's topics and techniques stay in my mind all the more.

While admittedly, there are numerous books out there on memory and memory techniques, I was surprised to learn about two more methods I hadn't really been aware of or if I was, I wasn't aware of the proper terminology. It was also nice to reread and remember techniques I had heard of, but needed a refresher on, which I can and should apply to my professional life as it can be quite chaotic so they afford some bit of control.

Interestingly, I was pleasantly surprised to see a chapter on forgetfulness. It shifted my reading focus to realize why we needed books on memory and this one in particular. It was simple to read and understand, even with some of the more complex techniques.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. An easy read for a complex topic with useful and informative tips and techniques that can and should be often used as a reference to help us keep all of our information remembered.

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If you've ever spent hours looking for your car keys, or an important document or something else that you couldn't seem to find, then you know the frustration of poor memory skills. Poor memory is not the end of the world, and in fact, it can be easily remedied. The solution is practice. Practice at what you ask? Practicing memory enhancement techniques. This book provides a plethora of handy little tricks and tips on how to improve your memory. Because let's face it, without memory what kind of life would we have?

This book begins with an introduction into the different types of memory including conscious and unconscious. Then starting with one of the most basic techniques for memorization which is repetition, the author then moves through such advanced techniques as story-telling. The author lays out numerous skills that can be adapted to suit your specific needs and personality. He discusses the different types of memory as well as the different types of lifestyle habits that can help you improve your memory. He literally covers a very broad and diverse set of tools to suit virtually anyone's needs and learning capabilities.

The book is well written in an easy to read style that doesn't try to overwhelm you with technical terms. It was written with the average person in mind, who is looking for proven techniques that will help them improve their memory and retention skills. The author suggests reading it several times on a recurring basis to reinforce the techniques outlined in the book. I'm ready to start reading it again myself.

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This book has a very good research and projection that makes us think what our memory is, how it works, how to culture it, and so on. The most important feature is that it is a complete guide with all good techniques and tips to sharpen the memory, which is very useful in our everyday, academic, professional, and business life. The fact is memory is such an invisible posture of someone's capacity to remember. Since, most of us don't think about ways to improve our memory and sharpening it, this book is a great reminder to us.

The chapter I liked the most is the one on Repetition. The reason is, in today's learning process, it is totally neglected by most of our children. I see children's tendency to avoid repetition when learning any academic subject. I called my children and read out this chapter to them so they knew why they should repeat a reading even though they have read it once, or redo a math problem even when they've solved it before, or write an answer to a question, even though they think that they know it. So, that's the best way to remember or store information in our brain. Although many of us felt this aspect of memory, I have not seen any writing before telling us about this important practice.

As per the `factors' to enhance memory, such as diet, relaxation, lifestyle, habits, belief etc, you get extra exposure to the completeness of the book about human memory's care and use. Overall I would grade the book as A+ as the first of its type.

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We have all done it: misplaced our keys, forgot what we were about to say, been stumped on an important exam or in an interview in spite of the fact that we know the information required, or been clueless to the face or name of a new acquaintance after the initial meeting. Most people feel that memory loss is a symptom of getting older, sadly resigning themselves to their dulling senses.

However, according to this practical user friendly guide the hopelessness that often accompanies the afore-mentioned resignation is unwarranted and premature.The author proposes the theory, backed by scientific evidence, that the brain is like any other muscle or skill, that if exercised will stay sharp and intact. This manual is not unique in its content, a fact freely admitted by the author, but where this offering deviates from the competition is that it is pleasantly written making it extremely readable. Complicated neurological theories are broken down into digestible factoids easily understood by the average person.

Each chapter is clearly written, including often humorous real world examples that are relatable and make the text a comprehensive read without being bogged down with industry jargon and unnecessarily complicated information. In spite of its slim packaging this book is filled with helpful activities and exercises all geared to fit into the busy lives of people striving to juggle families, careers, relationships all without succumbing to stress from the sheer magnitude of responsibility. This book is punctuated with easy fun exercises and activities, all included with maximum applicability and impact in mind, and all effortlessly integrated into one's life.

The overall theme of this fantastic book is that in spite of our limiting beliefs we remain in control of our reality, including the function of our most important tool: our mind.

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This well written book gives tons of insight on how our memory works and then provides simple, helpful, easy to follow practical tips, practices, tricks and methods that you can use and apply in your everyday life. I love that there are no gimmicks, special tools, or add-ons required. By reading the book, you already possess the skills you need by simply using the power of your own thoughts.

There are a variety of topics covered from remembering names and numbers to dates, events, and places. If you are anything like me, I am sure you know how embarrassing it is when you recognize a face but cannot recall the name of the person standing right in front of you. This handy book offers a simple solution and gives step by step methods to ensure that this does not happen again. As a business owner that alone was the main reason I purchased the book but to my surprise I picked up so much more from the advice I can hardly wait to share this book with my employees

Learning to teach your brain how to store memories by making associations and mental pictures to help with recall is not something I had ever heard of before and I find it so amazing how complex and miraculous our minds are. A must read for students, busy people, older people, someone who simply wants to learn how to increase their memory capacity, or anyone that struggles to remember things.

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This is a simple, easy to read, yet informative book about how anyone, with a small amount of time, can improve their memory. Techniques ranging from emotional/motivational affirmations to IQ raising digit span are used. What I appreciated the most is its accessibility. Most memory books out on the market focus on big, hairy concepts which can be complex or vague to implement in practical terms. Through my role as a tutor for eight years, I've noticed that people need small, practical tools they can implement in a short amount of time. This book does this well. It is accessible to anyone - no matter your background.

If you want to remember more, do better in your job and get better academic results, this book will be a useful tool in achieving this goal. I wholeheartedly recommend it to others and feel like people will get a big boost to memory if they focus on implementing the techniques one at a time.

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This book is a must read for anyone wanting to improve their memory. It covers all the major points of developing and improving memory in an easily digested format that makes the task a positive pleasure.There is perhaps little that is novel in the book,but everything in it comes with a long history of success in the field.If you are keen to improve your memory this book is absolutely essential.